adventures in family, faith, and Down syndrome

Happy birthday, Bean!

We knew we were in trouble when one of the first words that Ellie learned (after cuckoo) was “beer.”

This kid is nuts! And I can’t believe it, but this kid is now THREE. Good golly, when did that happen??

There has been much fuss over Tessa’s Birth Day. In comparison, Ellie’s was essentially routine. A monumental day for John and I, rookie parents who dutifully painted our nursery, packed our bags weeks in advance, and researched newborns for months in preparation, but blissfully mundane for the others involved.

I was one of those moms who went to the hospital three times and got sent home before it was actually real labor. Three days past-due, I spent the afternoon before her birth buying an obscene amount of antibacterial hand gel from the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale (which, coincidentally, sits unused in our bathroom cabinet to this day). There, the contractions began.

Labor with Ellie was long, 36 hours from first contraction until her birth. Looking back, I’m certain that she just wanted to make sure that we realized that she was going to be independent from day one.

When our sweet little Bean was born, full head of hair and a healthy cry, I literally sobbed simply because she was a she. It’s ridiculous, really.

Ellie is our go-with-the-flow, fun loving, precocious little comedian. She has the gift of gab and an insane vocabulary that she uses to get a reaction out of anyone who will listen. Everything she says is comical. Her easy-going zest for life is refreshing, but there is a strong-willed streak that makes me pull my hair out in frustration while laughing uncontrollably at the same time. I adore her goofy little laugh, her sweet smile, and the fact that she makes no apologies for liking me better than John. 🙂 Life is never dull for anyone with a three-year-old, but I’ll tell you what… this girl is really, really going to keep us on our toes as she grows older.